Anxiety as a Gateway to the Unconscious:

Identifying and managing unconscious anxiety pathways in ISTDP

Dr Sharon Lewis for ISTDP Israel

Anxiety symptoms both characterise and co-exist with many mental health conditions, including depression, panic disorders, phobic disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder. This workshop looks at effective techniques to identify and treat anxiety disorders.

The focus will be on the root causes of anxiety, in particular early attachment trauma and related difficulties in emotional processing.

With a focus on the neuro-physiological correlates of anxiety, the workshop will illustrate how clinicians can monitor anxiety levels to ensure a ‘zone of safety’ so patients remain within a therapeutic window that facilitates therapeutic progress. In this way, the therapist becomes a bio-feedback provider and assists patients in developing effective self-regulation strategies. The way in which unconscious emotions trigger anxiety symptoms will be explored.

This workshop draws on techniques from Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), an evidence-based, accelerated form of dynamic psychotherapy. This active approach comprises a targeted set of techniques which focus on processing emotional blockages responsible for symptoms of psychological distress, including anxiety.

The workshop will focus on practical skills for working with anxiety symptoms, and includes lecture material and clinical video. The following topics will be covered:

- attachment trauma and the development of anxiety symptoms
- neuro-physiology of unconscious anxiety
- assessment of the severity of anxiety pathways
- Specific regulatory techniques used in AB-ISTDP to treat anxiety symptoms

There will be opportunity for questions and discussion.

The event will be held in English.

The event is open to mental health professionals only, for ethical reasons. We include anyone who is registered with the ministry of health or academic institution.

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Dr Lewis is a chartered clinical psychologist registered with the British Psychological Society and the Health and Care Professions Council in the UK. She is an IEDTA accredited supervisor and trainer in ISTDP and provides individual supervision and training for clinicians wishing to develop skills in this model. Her approach is focused on the attachment-based ISTDP model developed by Dr Robert Neborsky (USA), where the clinical insights and techniques of Davanloo's ISTDP are further informed by research on attachment and emotion regulation.

Dr Lewis is a visiting lecturer on the clinical doctorate at the University of Hertfordshire, has presented nationally and internationally at workshops and conferences and is currently a consultant to Arsenal Football Club. She has published books and articles in the areas of trauma and ISTDP. She has experience both in private practice and in the NHS and currently works in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. She has a particular interest in working with clients with anxiety difficulties and treatment-resistant depression, as well as those diagnosed with physical health conditions such as auto-immune disorders, fibromyalgia and chronic pain.

www.drsharonlewis.com

www.istdp.london